Endive

Endive is not as popular here in Britain as it is on the continent.

The hearts of endive are delicious and add another dimension and sharpness to the blander ingredients of the salad bowl. It has a bitter flavour, however if preferred the natural bitter flavour of the leaf can be reduced significantly by simply covering the plant with a pot for several weeks before harvesting. This technique is called blanching.

Endive can be grown over the winter months and is a useful leaf to have as it is very hardy. The plants are less likely to be killed by severe frost if they are kept small by harvesting the leaves regularly as a cut and come again.

Endive can be grown for their hearts in the warmer months or as a cut and come again leaf over the winter and spring months, producing a good amount of small juicy leaves when little else is available at that time of year.